


Setting Free the Secret Tree

by CrystalHopeDragon



Series: Growing Family [2]
Category: Fangbone!, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (TV 2012)
Genre: Bill's mom is April's missing mom, Crossover, Multi, and wouldn't hurt to watch, but is a good show, doesnt require too much knowledge of Fangbone!, fun head canons, thats why her name was never said
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-20
Updated: 2017-08-20
Packaged: 2018-12-17 13:46:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 8,173
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11852841
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CrystalHopeDragon/pseuds/CrystalHopeDragon
Summary: So what would happen if Mrs. O'Neil had managed to live through and even escape from the Krang? What if she couldn't find April and Kirby because of Mr. O'Neil's extra precautions? What would happen if she realized that she was pregnant, and decided to protect what family she had left by moving to the other side of the country? And what would happen if that child turned out to be Bill, from Fangbone!, a child that looks remarkably like a young male April, and whose mother looks quite a bit like her as well?This. This could happen.





	Setting Free the Secret Tree

Bill had never really known much about his dad. Not that he hadn't ASKED or anything, it was more that his mom wasn't really interested in telling. He could barely get vague descriptions and names for the family tree project, and she would never go into detail about his dad or her own prior relatives. He'd always thought it was because it was too painful, she implied they were all dead after all, it couldn't be fun to remember why. So the older he got the less he asked, until eventually he just stopped asking. It didn't even get brought up again until, well...

Until they saved the world from Drool.

His mother got to see first hand that day (and for the first time in her memories, because of certain erasing spells) what he dealt with on a daily basis. And apparently thought it was time to tell him a bit about his family and some of the more unnatural parts of it, since apparently hiding it wasn't going to keep him safe from the trouble he found on his own.

So one day -about two days after their aborted Armageddon- she sat him down on the couch for a talk. She'd caught him playing video games so obviously Fangbone was present as well. She'd given him an awkward look and said it was a family discussion, to which Bill replied, "Well it's a good thing we're all here then, huh?"

She shrugged, realizing she wasn't winning that one. Fangbone had basically become part of the family recently, he and Bill being inseparable. Bill even went through a faze where he was basically the clingy boyfriend type, but they were so young still...she didn't even think they'd noticed that yet. The way their bond worked, that is. She left it be, that was an issue they'd figure out in time. At the moment she had a bigger issue to deal with, one she'd honestly put off for far too long.

"So, let's talk about your father. Or better yet, let's just talk about my grandfather and work our way down." Bill gawked, confused by the sudden change of heart, but was far more interested in the info on their past then this sudden reversal and motioned for her to continue. She did. "When I was about four years old, my grandpa had been digging a new section for the basement in our old family farm. To everyone's surprise, he found something down there. It was an alien space ship, one he really shouldn't have opened." Bill was surprised, Fangbone confused. Aliens? Honestly though, after everything he'd been through, Bill wasn't sure anything could shock him at this point. Fangbone just wasn't quite sure what they were, but this was obviously important, so he'd ask later.

"The creatures inside were called the Krang, and had been in stasis since they crash landed there centuries before. They were just a small research group, but instead of being grateful to their saviors, they only saw fresh test subjects. They experiment on my family, all of us, doing horrible, terrible things." She shuddered, gripping her thighs tighter at the memories, eyes closed as she fought not to replay them. Bill placed his hand over hers, trying to comfort his obviously shaken mother. She squeezed back, glad for the reassurance, before continuing. "Things that they apparently liked the results of. Grams and gramps were too old, too frail. The experiments killed them. Mom, dad, and I though... I guess we changed how they wanted us to. However that was, we never did find out.

I don't know how they did it, but the moment they got the chance mom and dad took me and ran. We kept running until we got here, to this little town on the other side of the country they managed to hide in, raised me in. I stayed here, happy, until they passed on when I turned 20. They were gone, had always been secretive, and I wanted answers. So I packed my stuff, abandoned the house, and drove my rear back to the address I never could quite forget, even after all that time. It was empty." She laughed helplessly. "No Krang, no people, no nothing. Just an old dusty farm house with an empty spaceship in the basement. So I moved on. Found an apartment in New York City, which was only a few hours south. Got a job, went to college...met Kirby." She took a deep breath here, eyes watery. "Sweet, goofy Kirby O'neil. He was a psychology major, three years older then me, well on his way to his masters. He was always so interested in the world around him, all the people he met...I guess our natural curiosities just clicked. We started dating, bonded, eventually married. I never could settle on a major -nothing ever felt right- so after he finished his masters, we moved downstate so he could start a practice. He honestly preferred lab work, but everyone has to start somewhere, right? And that's when I got pregnant." She paused, not seeming ready to continue.

"With me?" Bill prompted, squeezing her hand again. She just let out a chocked sob, crying at this point.

"With April." She gasped out. "With-with your sister." And that stunned Bill enough to let go. To really look at his mom; the kind, goofy, loving woman who raised him. Who could apparently keep secrets even better than him, if she never mentioned this. Fangbone squeezed his other hand, providing what comfort he could. Bill squeezed back, grateful he wasn't alone in this. Not that he ever was, really. "She was so tiny, so weak. We stayed in the city until she was 5, but she was so frail...the pollution was affecting her health. So we packed our bags, scrounged all our savings, and moved back into my old family farm house." She let out a choked laugh. "It had seemed like such a good idea at the time! No one had been there in years, it seemed safe, and it was going to be great for her health. And it was! For two years we stayed there, she grew strong, he continued a small online practice to keep funds coming in. I got a job at a local diner, and we were honestly doing wonderful. I guess we stayed too long though. Way too long. Because they came back. I thought they might be looking for us, but it turns out they'd had a small...project of some kind still tucked away on that spaceship. Never did get to see what that was either. I just knew that once they found us, they wanted us. I left April with Kirby, told them to run and hide. They technically didn't know about her yet, that she was mine; so they were really only after me. I led them away, distracted them hoping that my family would escape, and honestly...I still don't know if they did." She cringed, leaning back, hands over her face. "They caught me, experimented on me again. Broke me, again and again over the course of a month. I found the length of time out later of course, at the time it had felt far, far longer. Still not sure how you survived." That made Fangbone pull him closer as the implications kept setting in. "They got overconfident. Thought they'd broke me so much I wouldn't escape, looked away one too many times. I got out, got free. Escaped backed to the city, blended in with the rest of the world. Went on a hunt for my family. Never did find them. Either Kirby never made it out, or he was just too good at hiding, because after months of searching I had no luck. Then I found out about you." She finally looked down, grabbing him in a tight hug as she continued. "I was pregnant, that whole blasted time. Pregnant with a beautiful baby boy. A boy I needed to protect. I wasn't going to find Kirby and April easily if they were alive, and there was a chance they weren't. But you were, and I had you safe, and I had to keep you that way. So I moved back, back to that safe, tiny little city on the other side of the continent that my parents raised me in. Kept you warm and loved and protected, thinking no danger would come to you here, not with me on guard." She let out a slightly happier laugh here, glancing at the frozen Fangbone for the first time since she'd started. "Guess I wasn't really the one guarding, in the end. You got involved in some mess anyway, started fighting beside your partner to keep the whole flipping WORLD safe. At least I protected you until you could protect yourself though. I did SOMETHING right."

He squeezed her back tightly, trying to express everything he was feeling in it. "You did EVERYTHING right mom, it's not your fault life threw all this at you. You did everything you could to keep us safe, right to the bitter end. You made me feel safe, loved, and happy all this time, you did plenty right." Then he glanced up, determined. "Now let me do something for you." And he grabbed her hand, dragging her out of the house towards the creak, -Fangbone close behind- ignoring her confused protests on the way. They got inside the cave and he immediately went to an outrageously large book hidden in a back corner, buried in other random items. He pulled it out, flipped to the index in the back, before flipping back towards the middle.  
"Please give me something, just a little bit more." He mumbled out before focusing, randomly saying "bongo pickle" and keeping that page close in deep concentration. He started glowing a light blue, his eyes fading to a solid coating of that color, and his mother only resisted running to grab him because of Fangbone stubbornly holding her back.

"Have faith in him, mom of Bill. He knows what he is doing."

"What IS he doing?" She shouted in a light panic, just before he finally stopped glowing.

"Got her!" He shouted in triump, a little wobbly as he stood but grinning non the less. "Scrying spell mom, no worries. Actually, great news instead. Grab the car, let's go find my sister."

"Your-your sister?" She asked, chocking up. She was too distracted to even ask how he knew magic.

"Yep! She's in New York. Guess if dad left, he didn't stay gone for long. I'm getting a signal from UNDER the city for some reason though. Guess we'll find out when we get there."

He barely finished that sentence before he was swept up into a bear hug, one Fangbone barely resisted flipping her over. Some changes take time, after all; bear hugs were only for breaking the backs of bears in Skullbania.

"My wonderful, beautiful boy! My perfect, sweet baby! How- you know what, tell me how on the way. We've got a trip to do." She said before turning around, determined, and sweeping Fangbone up as well, making his resistance against his instinct to attack even more impressive. "We have so much distance to cover! Your sisters 20 now, you know."

"I didn't actually, but you can tell me more about her on the way." Bill said, turning to smile gleefully at Fangbone. He had a sister! They were going to meet his DAD AND SISTER! This really was turning out to be one of the best days of his life. He just had to remember to make sure mom called into work before they left.

\-----

Two days, one hotel pit stop, and a lot of driving later, and the car was parked in a parking garage in New York. From there they continued on foot, with him trailing that same aura he'd felt with the book just a few days ago. His mother was following behind him worriedly, as Fangbone stood guard in front, as he was far from watching his path at the moment. "Are you sure we're going the right way, honey?"

"For the fifth time, yes mom! I may be a bit out of practice but I know how my magic works. This aura appeared when I searched for an April O'neil of my family line, so I'm tracking an April O'neil of our family line! Have some faith please!"

"I know, I know, I just worry. I've never even had a lead, and all of a sudden we're heading straight for her! It's, well, a bit more than overwhelming to be honest." She said, finally giving him a few feet of space.

"Have no fear, mom of Bill. Your son is an excellent wizard, when he takes the time," he mumbled out that last bit, receiving a quick glare from Bill before he refocused on the task. "He is also an excellent tracker. I'm sure we will find your daughter safe and sound in no time."

Safe and sound wasn't quite what they found. What they found were three young adults and what looked like three giant turtles fighting a gang of fifty men.

"Brought the whole clan Hun?" Asked the red masked turtle with a grin. "Seems a little unfair." He lashed out, managing to knock down two men with just a back flip and a elbow hit. "You should have brought more."

"If they can find more." Responded the one with a matching purple mask, this one surprisingly wearing brown cargo pants. "I think we might have taken down nearly every thug in town willing to join them. I've calculated at least five hundred different Dragons over the course of the last three years."

"With slowly depleting numbers." The female in the yellow mask and black jumpsuit responded with a grin; a female with surprising familiar...orange...hair.

"And skill. I like a challenge with my beat down ya know!" Said the boy in the white hockey mask as he took down three more with some well placed shots.

"No complaining about pleasant luck in battle you guys. We can find a challenge elsewhere; we can find stress relief here." Said the blue one stoically as he knocked out another one, even if his own smile slipped through slightly at the ending comment.

"Aww, I thought I was your stress relief Leo!" Coed the black and blond haired female as she dropped and kicked out two more, making the blue masked one blush.

"Eww, sis, some things are best left unheard." Muttered the purple one as he knocked at a few more with a spinning staff maneuver.

"You three have no right to judge on PDA, or...anything romantic, really." Shouted the blue one back as he bonked two more out with the hilts of his swords.

Bill glanced at Fangbone, surprised he wasn't involved yet, only to see him staring in awe at the weapons. His mother had a similar response to the red head who, knowing his chances, was his sister.

"Don't drag me into this!" Shouted the red head- April, blushing. "I at least remember where the bedroom is!"

"Ya partners, howeva, do not." Grumbled out the red banded one, before grinning savagely as he snapped one gang members head sideways with a sickening crack.

"Let's just finish this." The purple one groaned before glancing around in time to see the black and blond girl punch out the leader, the last one standing. "Even better."

"Uh, guys?" The hockey masked guy said, pointing at them. This was when Bill realized that in their awe, they hadn't even hid. "Time to scram, civilians appearing."

"No wait!" Shouted Bill's mom, stepping forward at a desperate speed. April whipped around at the sound of the voice, nearly chocking at the sight.

"No way..." She whimpered out before running forward, jumping to land right in front of her. "You look just like..."

"April, darling, I'm sorry it took me so long to find you." Said his mom, throwing caution to the wind and grabbing the obviously dangerous vigilante woman.

"No way!" The woman shouted, pulling back. "It's just another trick, isn't it! Another alien or monster trying to sneak in again!"

Bill stepped forward at that. "I can promise you OUR mom isn't a fake. Just a bit lost at the moment." He said with an awkward shrug. "Nice to meet you, by the way. I'm Bill. Your, uh, little brother?" He intoned hopefully. "I tracked you."

"Brother?! I don't have a- wait, how old are you?" She asked, glaring at him suspiciously.

"12, turns out mom was pregnant when you got separated. Sorry about that. She was so busy trying to keep me safe she didn't have as much time to try and find you. We weren't sure if you were alive, to be honest. But when mom told me about you I tried out a scrying spell, and whala, here we are." He grinned up at her helplessly, arms spread wide. "It really is nice to meet you, I didn't even know about you until two days ago. It'd be really nice to meet dad, too."

She seemed stumped at that, glancing behind her for reassurance. The purple one and the hockey masked guy came forward, flanking her for support. "I- he's not lying. I don't sense any falsehood in his statements. He honestly believes he's my brother and she-" she sucked in a breath, "I'm a lot better trained now, yet she still FEELS like my mother. They might be- they might- Donnie! Casey!" She turned in her panic, falling into their arms. They both caught her, caging in to hold her tight.

Donnie glanced at the wounded mom, obviously hurt by her daughters response. She was stepping back, the two boys staying by her side as support. "Sorry about this, she got really hurt by an imposter in the past. It's also been an exorbitant amount of time, she just needs a moment to adjust."

"Right, yeah, of course. It's been...ages." She glanced at them, then back down.

"Come on," The blue one said, eyeing them up and gesturing to the group with his hand. "Let's head home, we can deal with it when somewhere safe." He added as he glanced down at the fifty unconscious gangsters, then back at them. "You too. I may not trust you yet, but your obviously related to her somehow. We need to sort this out, sooner rather than later."

The moment approval was given, Fangbone moved. He was beside the hockey man near instantly, practically buzzing in excitement. "You! Your exploding balls of black! What is their secret? How do you get such a small object to make such a dangerous blast?! This glorious secret must be mine."

Casey looked down at the strange boy, surprised. "It's just gun powder little dude."

"What is...gun powder?" Asked Fangbone as Bill approached rapidly.

"Whoookay absolutely not! No! Not right now. We have enough to worry about at the moment. You can learn about explosives AFTER the family drama is out of the way." He said, pushing them apart.

"But Bill! This is invaluable combat information. Such products don't exist on my world!" Fangbone forcibly pulled back, holding his ground against Bill's admittedly increasing, but still weaker strength.

"Your WORLD?!" Donnie shouted from the other side, staring at them. "Wait a minute, you look startlingly similar to the people from the other side of that space tear earlier this week."

"That we fixed." He preened proudly, still not leaving Casey's side. "The evil Drool was defeated, and our worlds were MOSTLY returned to normal. Still some contact though, so more glorious battle to be held. So tell me this info now, so I can be even better prepared for our next fight."

"Later, please." Bill pleaded desperately, squeezing his arm. He saw that look Donnie gave Fangbone too, that scientific curiosity showing through. "You all can obsess over weapons and science later. April and mom need us more right now." That sobered them all up, as Fangbone backed up to the moms side again as Casey and Donnie squeezed tighter around April.

Before anything further could be said though they arrived in an alley, one that quickly had an open manhole cover and vanishing turtles. "Come on." Grumbled the red one from the sewer entrance. To their mothers suprise, both April AND Bill just jumped down, no heed to the smell. She had expected such from Fangbone, but how much filth had he exposed her son to that he didn't even flinch at a New York sewers stench. Also...

"Why are we going into a sewer?" She asked suspiciously, glancing at April's...friends, that she honestly wasn't too comfortable around. The last time she'd been around aliens... She still followed them through the hole though, and down the tunnels. She needed to know, and her daughter was going with them.

"Home." The blue one in the lead responded briskly. "Two of my brothers and I still live in the sewers, and our youngest is babysitting right now. April, Donnie, and Casey have an apartment up top, but someone has to watch the twins during patrols. It only seems logical to have them watched within the safety of the old family home. We were raised down here." It was quite the detailed response, she wasn't expecting to get so much info from these obviously solitude loving creatures. The others seemed surprised by this as well, the red one glaring at the blue leader. The leader glared back. "They were going to need to know anyway, particularly if we ARE taking them home."

The red one grumbled but didn't argue.

"Um, twins?" She finally asked, quietly.

"Our son and daughter," April responded just as faintly. "Your grandchildren."

She gasped, caution beat out of her again as she got too close to the trio, getting glared at by the boys.

"What? How? You're barely 20, so when-"

"It was my fault." The human boy -Casey- said with a shrug. "We beat the Krang a long time ago, and clean up their old digs from time to time. I dropped the mutagen on the kittens Donnie and April had been playing with while at an old base, and well, they kinda turned into OUR kittens."

"Loose fingered knuckle head." The red one said, though his grin and tone gave away his fondness.

"So they're...mutant kittens? So you all, are you aliens or not?" Bill asked, as confused as his mother.

"Hardly." The red one snorted. "Only alien around here was my ex girlfriend, and she headed home after the break. We got plenty a mutants, some magical creatures-"

"Also mutants, just very OLD ones-" the purple one -Donnie- cut him off, before red continued with an eye roll,

"And some super heroes, but New York doesn't really have too many aliens. The alien heroes have other cities to save, we got enough protectors without them. And as for the alien villains..." He grinned maliciously at this, "they haven't been seen in a while." Casey chortled proudly at this.

"You defeated the Krang?" Bill's mother asked, breathlessly.

"Thoroughly," the blue one said, smug tone in place, "Closest thing to Krang around here these days are the Utrom, their benevolent, estranged cousins. Of whom they've been at war with for centuries."

"Still creepy and awkward." Spoke up the other girl for the first time. "But not too hard to deal with. And speaking of hard to deal with..." She grinned.

"Mama! Dada!" Squealed a little male voice.

"Papa!" Responded a female one. Both coming from the entrance to an old, abandoned subway tunnel as two little figures crawled towards them.

"Whoa babies not again!" Shouted a voice from behind them before another turtle arrived with bottles in one hand to scoop the kits up in the other. He glanced up, "ehehe, uh, hi guys."

"Mikey!" Donnie shouted with a glare, storming up to take the tan kitten and a bottle from him.

"Nice going dude." Casey said with his own glare as he took the black kitten and another bottle, April still at his side.

"I was just making chow, I swear! They escaped the playpen again!" Pouted the orange one, Mikey. Then he glared at Donnie. "You're making them grow up too fast again."

"If they want to talk and crawl I have no complaints habilitating it." Donnie proudly sounded out, before cooing at his kitten. "Ain't that right my baby boy? You're just a quick little learner aren't you? Can you say learn? Leeeaaarrrrn?"

"Eeaaarrrn." Responded the kitten around his bottle.

"Close enough!" He grinned.

"How old are they?" Asked Bill's mom to the blue one.

"They were about 3 weeks when mutated, we think...so...we've been estimating about 9 months. We've had them for 8. We celebrate mutation days in this family for a reason, not birthdays." He responded with a shrug before following his family inside. This was about when Mikey finally glanced back and noticed they had guests.

"Dudes! Company! A warning would have been nice! I could have cooked something extra special! Well, I guess all my meals are special, though!" She was surprised by this one. While the others had all been cautious, sleeking by and glaring even while divulging information, this one came straight towards her with a grin, extending his hand for a shake. "I'm Michelangelo, but everyone just calls me Mikey. Welcome to our home!"

"Um, hello." She responded, honestly stunned. "I'm Katie O'Neil. This is my son Bill, and his friend Fangbone. Im April's..." She glanced at her daughter who still wouldn't look at her. "...mother."

"O snap!" He said with a gasp, glancing around. "Awkwarddddd. Whelp, time for food! A little something in your tummies might help the sour mood! Food makes everything better, after all!" He said before literally prancing away towards what seemed to be their kitchen. She didn't know how to respond to that, it was kind of a whiplash moment to be honest.

"I'm Karai, by the way." Said the female, still at a distance. "The grouchy red ones Raphael, the tight wad blue one Leonardo. Ap already said their names, but the snarky smart purple ones Donatello and the jack ass is Casey. Sandy is the little tan kitten and May is the black one." She motioned around. "That's our family, this is our home." She was suddenly right in front of her. "Don't break it, got it?" She hissed out, extremely close. Fangbone nearly grabbed his sword, but Katie waved him off.

"I wouldn't dream of it." She whispered honestly. "I've wanted it back for too long to ever try and hurt it."

Karai's expression softened at that, "That, I can understand." She said before pulling away, heading towards a couple of...shoji? Katie thought they were called. Either way, a couple of doors that chances are hid a dojo, based on how they all fought earlier. The moment the tension was done, Fangbone turned to Bill. "Gunpowder now?" Bill just groaned.

"Fine! Fine. But we are doing this the smart way, for once." He turned to Casey with a glare. The man was now mask-less, still feeding his daughter. "You. He is a barbarian. A 12 year old barbarian, who I've barely gotten to understand modern tech. He's never seen our weaponry, and considering how dangerous he is with his, he's going to be monstrous with ours. He wants you to show him some of yours. And it is going to be epic, like super epic, but Be SMART ABOUT IT!" He finished with a shout.

"I think I'll take this one, then." Responded Donatello, walking forward and passing his now fed son to Casey, who curled up against his Papa's shoulder as his sister kept eating on the other side. Casey had to juggle a bit to get it all right, but he managed. "Casey's good at using weapons, and most of his he builds. I build everyone else's though, so maybe I can explain them a little better to you."

"I'm grateful for the save D, but I'm still coming with." Said the full handed man as he followed them towards a set of metal doors. "You have a habit of over complicating things. Kids gonna need a...simpler approach around too."

Donnie turned to glare, "You are NOT bringing the kittens into the lab."

They heard a sigh, "I've got them." April finally spoke up, grabbing the kids from one of their fathers. She jumbled them around a bit herself, getting them comfy before giving a whining May back her bottle. "Just try not to destroy anything." She cautioned with a quick warning glance.

"Us?" Casey mock gasped. "Never."

"Yes, yes." She said as she rocked her children, walking straight for her mother. "Come on. I think I'm ready to talk."

Mrs. O'neil just nodded awkwardly, following her daughter to the couch.

 

\-----

"My lab." Donnie said proudly as he pried open the metal doors. Bill could see why, the place was spectacular. There were experiments everywhere, full test tubes and machines that he'd never seen before. There even seemed to be a robotic turtle being built in one corner, and a strange blob creature frozen in a giant canister.

"Cool!" Bill finally responded with, eyes alight. He wasn't a sciency kid really, but he did like new and exciting things, and this place was awesome.

"Yes, very cold and amazing." Fangbone responded impatiently, obviously knowing what the word meant but playing with both meanings. "Now, weapons!"

"Calm down, little dude. That's a lot of stuff to go over. Let's start small." Casey said, reaching behind him to pull out a puck. "Gun powder and dynamite seem like a good place to start."

"And lasers will be a good place to end." Donnie responded from beside them, a gun like thing over his shoulder and a maniacal grin on his face. Bill grinned. O boy. It was going to be TOO fun a day, huh? Well, no better way to bond with your...brother in laws?...right?

\-----

 

"I didn't mean to leave you." April's mother finally broke the silence with. "We thought the house was safe, it had been abandoned for years. It was also supposed to be the last place they'd look for us. Why would they? What idiot goes back to the place they escaped from?" She let out a self deprecating laugh, running a hand through her own hair. "So when they found us, my only goal was to keep you both safe. I guess I managed that, but they caught me. It took me a month to escape their experiments, and by the time I did, you two were nearly untraceable. Kirby's too good at hiding." She said with a sad smile towards her. "I guess you are now too.

So while I was lost in my search, I started getting sick. Realized I was pregnant. Didn't know how to find you, and now I had Bill... I didn't even know if you were alive, but he was. He needed a safe home, a place to grow... I took off to the other side of the country, where my parents raised me. Didn't even know how to find you till this week, when Bill decided to tell me in the most SPECTACULAR way he'd been fighting monsters for a year, stopped an invasion of some giant evil guy, and promised he could take care of himself. So since keeping him out of the loop obviously wasn't keeping him safe, I told him about you all for the first time, and he told me he knew a tracking spell, and...well...here we are." She finished with a motion to her daughter and grandchildren, watching as the boy dozed and the girl crawled around near her curiously. She tugged on her ponytail, making Katie giggle through her wince and pick her up, hugging her close as the girl kept trying to play with her hair.

"It's all a bit overwhelming." April said for the third time today. "I had finally accepted you were never coming back, and then... Here you are." She laughed helplessly. "I'm glad, just a bit lost. The explanation helps though. I'm glad to know you're safe, even if I wish you could have come back sooner." She glances to the lab. "He seems wonderful though, patient and kind. I always wanted a sibling. I can understand why you took so long, if you were keeping him safe." She glanced down at her sleeping son, lightly running her hand through the fur on his head, the rest of him hidden under his green footy pajamas (matching his sisters teal ones, only their little white paws showing through). "I'd do anything to keep them safe."

"I can't believe you are already a mother." Her mom whispered out again. "I wasn't even sure if you were alive, and here I am with a baby O'neil in my arms." She chuckled as she held her granddaughter close, causing her to squirm. She loosened her grip, but didn't let her go.

"Hamato, actually." April spoke up. "I was going to name them Hamato-Jones, but Casey was insistent. He's even thinking of taking the last name when I do. We've been part of this clan since we were 15. Our own last names don't mean nearly as much as the clan name to us anymore." She looked up, around. "This is our family. And our family is full of Hamato's. We should be too." She blushed. "Uh, that wasn't a dirty joke."

Her mom laughed at that, "I know, I know. I am surprised you have two partners, one being a mutant turtle, but I won't complain. They make you happy, and seem to keep you safe. What more could I want for my kids?"

"A little less combat?" She asked with a raised eyebrow, before grinning. "Wouldn't help, admittedly. It's in our blood, and our upbringing. I had to learn to fight quickly when dad got kidnapped by the Krang when I was 15."

Katie sent April a startled look. "Where did you go?!"

"Aunt D took me in, but I spent every day down here with them. They'd saved me from the same fate as him, and had even promised to help me get him back, even though it didn't help them at all. Master Splinter even taught me to fight!" She grinned, tearing up a bit. Katie realized they hadn't introduced her to a Splinter upon arrival, and the sadness amongst the joy in April's expression gave her a feeling of foreboding. "We got him back too! The boys messed up on a mission not long after though, and he got mutated. I was upset with them and ditched them for a bit, meeting Casey in the mean time. Even after I did that, they still came to help the next time I was in trouble. Eventually they...met Casey," She looked to the side at that, telling her there was more to that story, but there was more to discuss so she'd get it later, "and we all started working as a team. Donnie found the cure to mutagen, or at least that variation of it, and cured dad. It was all going pretty well... then the Krang invaded."

"The three months New York was off the map." Her mom whispered out, connecting the dots.

"Yeah, the government did one heck of a coverup job on that. Leo had gotten hurt, we'd lost Splinter in the fight, and were so backed into a corner the 6 of us wound up running." She glanced across the room to the dojo, where Karai, Leo, and Raph were in a sparring match. "Karai was freshly mutated at the time, and out of her mind. We didn't wind up getting her back to us for months, even longer than it took to save New York. Donnie, with some of Mikey's luck and insanity, managed to find a way to cure New York after Leo woke up from his coma and we snuck back in. And..." And she looked at the overwhelmed, terrified look on her moms face, "and that's enough for now. It all worked out, see? All the trouble, mayhem and pain we went through, we made it. All seven of us are alive, we got the kids, we even have jobs! Donnie has this neat little hologram device so they can go up top easily during the day, and he hacked some data bases last year. All of them are legally Splinter's adopted kids from Italy -um, bit of an inside joke- and I "gave birth" to the twins last year in some giant hospital over in Pennsylvania, Donnie listed as the father because of the last name thing. Even if someone went digging on us, it'd be hard to prove otherwise."

"And where is Splinter?" She asked, with a bad feeling.

April cheery expression saddened a bit again, but she powered on. "We lost him in a fight against the old family nemesis three years ago, before Leo beheaded the monster. He doesn't have to be here though to still be family."

April's dower expression and that statement called for a change of topic, so, "You said they had jobs?"

And while April continued on about Donnie and Casey's patents and inventions (and Casey's part time work at the local hockey rink), Leo and Karai's dojo (Donnie forked out to purchase the building for them), Mikey's work as a writer, Raph's LOVELY time as a PI with Karai - and Casey helping out at times (she'd have to ask more on how that happened later), and her work as an apprentice reporter, Mrs. O'Neil had to admit that they'd done pretty well for themselves. They all had careers or at least paths, seemed dedicated to their work and each other, and somehow still had their health. Considering how this could have gone down for four mutant turtles and her daughters family legacy, it was astonishing. Once April calmed down a bit on that topic, she finally asked.

"And Kirby?"

April's expression softened even further. "Works at a lab a bit further uptown. Let's go see him."

So after dragging a slightly charred and grinning Fangbone and an exasperated but happy Bill out of the lab, April and her men dressed the kids and packed them into carrying packs for the road. Donnie then stuck a little button like thing onto each of their throats and whala, there was suddenly a sandy blond baby in April's pack and black haired baby in Casey's. Donnie pressed another to his throat and a tussled brown haired man in a dark purple suit and glasses stood before them. He grinned at the boys awed expressions and Fangbone's questions on the witchcraft before saying, "Let's hit the road."

They went up to the street about three manholes away, before walking to a vehicle parked nearby. It was just a small green van with a couple of car seats in the middle row, but she noticed at the very back under the exhaust vent there were- "Why do you have rocket boosters in a van?"

"You can never be too cautious." Donnie said primly, before Casey cut in to add, "And it was too much fun to resist. We armed it too, 'just in case'." He air quoted with a grin towards his boyfriend. "That too." Donnie admitted, grinning before helping them tuck the twins in. April sat between the seats in the middle row, Casey getting in to drive while Donnie took shotgun, and the three of them piled into the back row before they drove through the town at a frankly terrifying pace. Upon arrival at a small office building, Casey pulled into a parking spot. "Land ho!" He laughed out as they stopped. She had to admit she was grateful, why they let him drive she'd never know. That ride was terrifying.

"Can we go again?!" Bill shouted out, nearly bouncing.

"No!" His mom and April said in tandem, sharing an exasperated look.

While April was getting Sandy out she glanced at her mom to say, "He's actually one of the safer drivers, to be honest. We're all so used to being in danger constantly, the only ones who don't speed are Donnie and Leo, and Donnie gets distracted too easily." Which was confirmed when he glanced away and didn't deny it, just carried his daughter off towards the door. "Casey has the most practice driving of us all, so he's actually pretty good, just a bit too fast."

"Just a bit. Like an eight foot snail is just a bit larger than usual." Her mother said with a chuckle as she followed them to the door.

"That size is actually quite common for snails on my home world." Fangbone responded.

She cringed. "I know, trust me hun." That got some curious looks, but no comments. They went in, April having the key. Walked up three flights and stopped at a door three in on the right.

"He's always working these days, it helps him ease his thoughts." April informed as they opened the door to show a small office, papers all around. Inside sat a busy Kirby, coffee to one side of his computer, a stack of research papers on the other. "Hi dad." She said.

"Hi dad." Copied Bill, liking the way it sounded. He turned around, surprised in general at the interruption, and gaped in astonishment at the sight of his assumedly long dead wife.

"Katie..."

"Hi Kirby bug, I was wondering where you went. You're too good at hiding. Do you know how long it took me to find you?" She said with a happy grin, not stepping forward just yet.

She didn't need to. He was out of his chair near instantly, gripping her tightly in her arms. "I thought- they caught you, I was so sure-"

"I kinda thought the same thing, to be honest." She whispered out, squeezing him back. "I never would have found you if our son wasn't such an excellent tracker."

"Son?!" He asked in surprise, pulling back to look down at the small figure hiding behind her.

"Hi." Responded Bill, waving awkwardly at him.

"I was pregnant when they caught me. Managed to get away after a month, but couldn't find you. I thought for sure they'd gotten you too. Then I realized I had him coming and I just tried to keep the one I had left safe. I'm sorry, I didn't realize-" he shushed her, squeezing her tight.

"You're here now, both of you. I couldn't ask for more." He pulled away, bending down. "I'm Kirby, it's nice to meet you."

"I'm Bill, I've always wanted to meet you." He responded, hugging his father for the first time.

"I'm very glad to meet you too." He ground out, squeezing him tight, old parental instincts rearing a new head.

"Don't get too protective of this one," Katie chuckled out, "He protects the world, these days. I have to fight tooth and nail just to keep him safe at home at night, there's no helping the days." She said with a wistful sigh.

"Watch me." Kirby grumbled out. "And you can't be more than 12, HOW are you in that much danger?"

"Inter-dimensional villains and monsters bent on revenge, tears in the fabric between two worlds, and him as a best friend." The boy said with a grin, pulling back to sling an arm around the barbarian next to him.

"Bill is a formidable warrior, father of Bill." He put forward, puffing up his chest. "As am I. The two of us together can be near unstoppable."

"Is anything in this family ever sane?" Kirby looked up at his wife, helplessly.

"I'm afraid not, dear." She helped him up, pecking his cheek in apology.

"We've got to go," April intoned sadly, hugging her drowsing daughter close, "It's nearly dawn, and the kids are way overdo for sleep, as are we. Evening shift or not, we need some rest. I love you all." She glanced around, leaning down for a hug from her brother, then one for both of her parents. That thought was warming, she could get used to it.

"Goodbye, Mr. O'Neil." Donnie said on his way out, followed by a, "Night Mrs. O." From Casey, carrying his restless son.

"I told you both to call me Kirby." He grumbled after them. April just smiled before following them out, leaving the four remaining in the room.

Sensing their desire for some privacy, Bill stumbled out a quick, "Gonna go for a look around, be back soon." Before dragging Fangbone away.

"Stay safe, avoid the alleys!" His mom shouted after them, knowing it was futile. They always got into trouble when left alone, but there really was no way to stop them, they'd proved that. She'd tried on the first day after the fight, for them to defeat a dragon within the next hour.

"You're just going to let them go?" Kirby asked, worried.

"I can't stop them. If I try to keep them from danger, it seems to come looking for them. At least out there they have the world around them to make an advantage. Our sons smart, he finds ways. Fangbone's strong and skilled, he does what Bill can't. They'll be okay. I have to believe that, because I can't keep them safe from the dangers they've found. I've tried; they wind up saving me."

"I know that feeling." Kirby chuckled out. "I can't count the number of times April and her clan have come to my aid. Two de mutations and a kidnapping for sure, but after that the numbers get fuzzy."

They share a laugh at their own helplessness, grinning about their resourceful kids. Then she sobered up, knowing the next thing needed to be said, "We can't stay. I've got work -just a small job at a factory, but work- and Bill's got school come fall. We have a life elsewhere, and I don't think he'd be happy moving here."

"I know." Kirby smiled sadly, "I saw how he acted with that young man just now. They don't seem like they'd take being parted too well, and he doesn't seem like a city boy to me."

She laughed. "He'd be living in Central Park. But no, he's really not. I love you and we'll visit often, but we are going to have to leave, and soon. I've already been gone for 3 days now, and it's going to take two more just to get home. At most another two days, and then we're off."

"Then we'll have to make the most of it." He said with a sly grin, an expression she loved and missed dearly. She kissed him again, on the lips this time.

"That we will."

\-----

They did head back in two days, after lots of catching up, bonding, and the boys joining them on patrol their last night. Fangbone was never fond of projectile weaponry, but he did take home one of Donnie's laser swords as a present (it had been a gift for Leo based on Space Heroes that he had dearly loved, but admitted was a bit excessive for their usual battles. Donnie had made plenty, so one less wouldn't hurt. Fangbone took a brown one for some reason.). Bill on the other hand had grown quite attached to a certain gray blaster, and had packed that with as well. They were both solar powered meaning they'd never run out, and Bill's mom wasn't sure how she should feel about that.

She did know how to feel about leaving though. She was sad; gloomy. She'd enjoyed her time with her husband and family dearly, and promised to be back for the 4th of July, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Christmas, the works. That was a ways away though.

They couldn't move for good either. Her job may have been easy to replace, but their friends were not. And they couldn't just visit every weekend, it was too much travel, they'd never make it. It was a depressing conundrum.

...Until Bill got the magic book involved. He knew there were portal spells. Heck, they used one every time they visited Fangbone's clan or vise versa. He just had to figure out how to do one across two thousand miles without accidentally AGING himself again. With a little help from Twinklestick, they did. They found the least advanced, least magically exhausting spell they could. It wasn't a big one anyway, really. Basic teleportation. And oddly enough, Bill's world seemed well adapted to this simple one, letting it flow easily. And once he did figure it out, weekend visits to New York became a family custom.

A very, very fun one.


End file.
